In an elevator, a pair of guide rails is built within an elevator hoist way in a vertical direction, and an elevator car coupled with one end portion of a main rope ascends and descends while being guided by the guide rails. Since the elevator car is guided along the guide rails, the elevator car has elevator guide devices.
Types of elevator guide devices include a roller type and a guide shoe type. In either type, the elevator guide devices are configured to guide the elevator while they are in contact with the guide rails. Therefore, vibration and noises are generated due to distortion and joints of the guide rails, which causes passengers in the elevator car to feel uncomfortable.
Accordingly, an elevator guide device has been proposed that guides a running elevator car without any contact by employing a magnet guide unit and controlling attracting force of magnets exerted between the magnets and iron guide rails that are provided to face each other (see Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2005-350267).